Increase defense budget to 3% of GDP, DPP says

MAKE HASTE:The DPP said the government has to start buying fighter jets and build its own submarines, while the economy and defense must be mutually reinforcing

By Rich Chang / Staff reporter

Lin said the previous DPP administration in March 2005 was opposed to a proposal, which he advocated as early as 2002, that six of the eight diesel-powered submarines that Taiwan had planned to acquire from the US be built in Taiwan using technology transfer.

The then-DPP led by Su instructed its caucus to pass a legislative resolution against indigenous submarine development due to concerns over limited budget, Lin said.

The nation’s first locally-built submarine could have been launched in 2011 had the previous DPP administration not been opposed to the project in 2005, Lin said, adding that the DPP and Su owe the public an apology.